The Last Chinoike [A NARUTO LOVE STORY]

Tonika Village

"Everyone know their positions?" Shikamaru asked as the group geared up to start leaping from tree to tree. 

"Yeah, let's get going already!" Ino called out from her position on the right. The group- Hayami, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino- all nodded to each other and jumped up to the tree tops. Ino, who was next to Hayami, leaned over and confided in her. "To be honest, we've had some pretty depressing missions lately so I'm not really looking forward to getting back to the village right away."

This sparked Hayami's interest. She was already intrigued by the world of being a Leaf shinobi and what all that could possibly entail for her. "You don't say. Anything in particular that caused you issues?"

"Eh, just stuff I probably shouldn't share." The blonde young woman shot her a sympathetic look as she realized Hayami really wasn't one of them yet. 

'Sure she's on a mission with us and she's been training under Lady Tsunade and all, but she isn't an actual citizen of Konoha. I should probably just keep my mouth shut anyways about anything ninja or Konoha related... But that doesn't mean I can't tease her about Naruto to pass the time!' Ino internally squealed at the revelation of her new past time on the upcoming journey.

Hayami shrugged it off and continued to leap among the tree branches with her new comrades. She was focusing on observing her new comrades as she naturally sat backseat to the conversations of the three long-time teammates and friends. The day of traveling at a consistently fast speed ended soon as the sky began to get slightly darker. Shikamaru held up his hand, signaling that he wanted the three shinobi running behind him to stop. The group dropped down to the ground and was instructed to begin setting up camp. They were about three hours from Tonika Village, however Shikamaru did not want the team exhausted when they got there so he decided to break for the night right here.

"I believe setting up a fire this close to our destination would not be wise. We'll take turns staying awake in shifts." Shikamaru turned to Hayami and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Hayami, I'm not going to give you a shift to watch over the group. You understand of course, you're not a Leaf shinobi so this is just to ensure the safety of the mission and my comrades."

Hayami nodded her head then quietly made her way over to a small clearing to begin setting up a place to sleep. She flopped down on the ground and sighed. 'I totally get what Shikamaru was saying... I just feel like they don't trust me at all. Is there a way that I can gain their trust? Oh but if they see me sucking up all of a sudden they'll assume I'm up to something and that'll back fire.' She turned on to her back, hands crossed underneath her head as she looked up at the slowly darkening sky. 

'I sure do wish they were more like Naruto. That boy welcomed me with open arms, no questions asked. I miss him.' Hayami seemingly coughed out loud at absolutely nothing, but the sudden thought that entered her mind was what caused the sudden outburst. 'I MISS HIM? HUH?! IT'S BEEN LIKE 12 HOURS, HAYAMI. GET A FUCKING GRIP. I GO ON ONE DATE THAT ISN'T EVEN REALLY A DATE BECAUSE IT WASN'T EVEN MEANT FOR ME AND NOW I MISS HIM?' Hayami groaned and resisted the urge to scream at how frustrated she was with her internal dialogue.

Shikamaru called Hayami over to where his other comrades were. "Hey Hayami, come over here and strategize with us." Hayami stopped her groaning and frustration and got up to go sit with the other Leaf shinobi.

"Hayami, we understand you have a jutsu that can really help our group out in the situation of the gang member who has the ability to copy someone's face once he sees them. We have to assume they can copy jutsus, physical prowess, and visual prowess' as well. So come on then, let's hear it." Shikamaru beckoned her to explain how she can help the group.